1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a gaming machine with a common display device and a control method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in gaming facilities in which gaming machines such as slot machines are installed, players can enjoy games by inserting a variety of gaming mediums such as coins and cashes. Each of the gaming machines is designed so as to pay out a payment according to a winning prize (game outcome) that takes place in the progress of a game.
In a casino in which a plurality of slot machines are installed, there is a so called “jackpot” from which, after part of the credit consumed in each of the slot machines has been reserved, if the amount of the reservation reaches a predetermined amount of money, a large amount of payout is made such that a payment is not paid out to any of the slot machines in an ordinary hit (see Published US Patent Application No. 2003/073486, for example). In such slot machines, in the ordinary case, a hit takes place at each of the set probabilities, and players conduct games while anticipating the hit. By means of lottery other than that of the ordinary hit, which is based upon each of the probabilities set in the slot machines, a jackpot hit will take place on any of the slot machines with a predetermined timing.
The conventional gaming machines include those in which, if a gaming medium loss reaches a predetermined amount, a return is given to players who are performing games. The gaming machines having such a return function are characterized in that a countdown effect is rendered by a predetermined period that took until the return is performed. These machines are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,820,459 and 6,695,697, for example.
However, a game effect such as the countdown effect described above is enjoyable to players who well know the contents of the game, and however, those who does not know the contents of the game is not aware of what is going on, and the counted effects are always neither interesting nor attractive to them.
In addition, in a case where a display device is additionally provided to display the advantageous effect as described above, if nothing is displayed in a period in which no advantageous effect is performed, and an image irrelevant to the contents of the game is displayed, it can be said that hardware resources are not effectively utilized.
The present invention has been made in view of the abovementioned circumstance, and it is an object of the invention to provide a gaming system and a method of controlling the gaming system that is capable of attracting interest or concern of those who does not play a game by explaining the game on the common display, that is capable of alleviating uneasiness for performing the game for a long time, and moreover, that is capable of eliminating a period in which the common display device is not used, and effectively utilize hardware resources.